Scars
by Karebear Kay
Summary: Now that Claire and Steve have escaped from the facility, what's next for them?


This story takes place after Code: Veronica. Not necessarily after Umbrella is taken down, but a long time after. I hope you enjoy this little romantic one-shot of mine.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to the makers of Resident Evil. The story for the fic belongs to me, though there are some similarities to the events during Code: Veronica, you'll find out why.

Enjoy.

* * *

They ran as fast as they could, stopping at a riverbank as the gunshots drifted further away. The two of them hid underneath the bridge for cover.

Claire let her body drop to the moist grass below her, breathing heavily as if she just ran a marathon and laid her arms and legs out. Steve stood next to her with his hands on his knees, not able to think carefully. He stared over her as he caught his breath. They were completely exhausted from the run.

Just as he was about to lie next to her, a scream bursting with terror and struggle rang through the midnight sky. They both shot up; expressions of fear streaming across their face. Claire clutched the grass beneath her as the scream faded, her emotions mixing inside of her. The anger she felt for the Umbrella soldiers was immediately replaced with guilt.

The three of them were forced to split up, Steve, Rodrigo, and herself. A grenade was thrown at them and they each jumped in different directions. Steve had found her and grabbed her arm as they sprinted, not even realizing where they were going. Rodrigo must have done the same and began sprinting in a different direction. She and Steve left after the impact and apparently weren't spotted. Lucky for them, she guessed. They were supposed to escape together; escape the hellhole they were trapped in. But those bastards—They shot him, Rodrigo, and will probably feed him to the dogs.

Claire rested her head on her knees as her body lost the will to be angry.

_We should have watched his back… like he had watched ours._

Death passed them, making its way to Rodrigo's dead body. Steve lifted his head and gently touched her shoulder. She looked at his smiling face, but could sense the sorrow hidden behind the mask.

"Come on. We need to keep on moving if we want to get out of here."

Rodrigo was gone and there was absolutely no way to revive him. All they could was pray that Umbrella won't play mad scientist with him.

She nodded and reached out for his help, not returning the smile. Steve lost face as he helped her up. They each took a peek on the sides of the bridge making sure it was clear. There were three guards walking on the side of a building. Once they cornered, Steve and Claire ran across the bridge, trying to silence their footsteps. Across from the bridge was a forest. Rodrigo had told them that the forest was public, so there weren't going to be any guards. Somewhere in the middle was a cabin that he privately owned; the ownership wasn't on record and he never talked to anyone about it. It was his emergency house built for this type of situation.

A shooting star flew overhead, Claire glanced at the last trace of it before disappearing; her eyes closed as she wished the best for Rodrigo.

Steve walked ahead of her. There weren't any trails, so they had to rely on their memory of what Rodrigo told them. Large pine trees surrounded them and blocked out the stars above, their only source of light. Claire glanced over her shoulder to make sure that they were far from the Umbrella facility and took out her lucky lighter. The stiffness of Steve's body had told her that the sudden light had startled him, causing a little giggle out of her. Steve smiled at her change of emotion and then not wanting to waste any time, they began to walk once again. The directions that Rodrigo gave them were vague in her mind, but her legs were somehow able to guide her on their own.

* * *

The cabin was only one story, but was pretty spacious. The two of them split up searching the four doors in the room. The living room and the kitchen were both connected. There was a simple sofa and a wooden coffee table in the living room. Rodrigo obviously had no time to decorate the place; either that or he liked to keep things simple. A small storage for canned food and such was kept behind the door next to the kitchen and a closet behind the door next to the sofa. The master bedroom, actually the only bedroom in the place, and a small bathroom were the last two rooms.

The two were too tired to talk and once they secured all the windows and the doors, they both made their way to the bedroom and fell over, falling asleep before they even hit the bed.

* * *

Claire was outside taking in the outdoors. She was wearing a large v-neck T-shirt, which she tied at the back to prevent the bottom from getting in her way, and baggy pants that she held up with a belt. Her reddish-brown hair was let down and parted in the center.

Steve walked out and saw her as she inhaled the fresh air.

"I like the new look," a large grin formed across his face.

She turned, obviously startled and looked him up and down. "Can't say the same for you," she said returning the smile.

He looked down at himself and shrugged, his grin turning dumbfounded. The baggy clothes enhanced his boyish features. She laughed hysterically at his face and he stared at her as though she was going crazy; a look that seemed so familiar, but she couldn't grab a hold of it. But she _was_ able to grab a hold of herself and walked toward the steps leading to the cabin door.

"Go grab your clothes," she said as she removed her own bundle from the stairs.

"Why?" She could tell that he still thought she was going crazy.

"It's hard to move in these. If we run into anything, we should at least wear clothes we're comfortable in. Don't you think so?" he gave her a smile and walked inside to fetch his clothes.

* * *

They stood at the side of a river. It was probably connected to the one near the Umbrella facility. Claire didn't actually know it was there; it was more like a feeling. It didn't matter though. Steve didn't ask any questions, so she wouldn't have to explain it.

A sudden flood of emotion filled her aching heart. The same feeling she had when Rodrigo passed.

Splashes of water woke her up from the weird state she was in. She looked at Steve who had the biggest smile on his face. He must have noticed and decided to cheer her up. Returning the smile, she bent over seductively and saw his expression change; he seemed to be aroused by her gesture. Wanting so badly to burst out at his flushed face, but keeping it in. Splashing him hysterically when her fingers touched the water.

He shook his wet hair as if he was a dog and his smiling face returned. They began splashing each other, laughing like little children. It was the first real moment they had out of the nightmare, a moment that will never be forgotten.

Claire raised her knee and hands trying to block the water. As she settled her leg down, she slipped on the mud beneath and fell foreword. He grabbed her almost immediately, padding her fall. Steve sat in the water with Claire between his legs. A warm feeling ran through her as he hugged her tightly as if he was going to lose her. She hugged back, placing her head on his shoulder, crying out what she had held in her for so long. His warmth was so familiar, but she couldn't figure how. She couldn't remember any other time he had held her; maybe it reminded her of Leon?

A moment past before she let go and stared into his innocent eyes.

_I wonder where this path will take us.

* * *

_

A couple of weeks passed since they escaped from the Umbrella facility, since Rodrigo's death. Her memories from when she went to the facility to the day that they arrived in the city were vague. Short-term memory loss maybe? Who knows and frankly, Claire didn't seem to care.

She and Steve had moved into a one-bedroom apartment that also belonged to Rodrigo; at least that's what Claire thought. He must have told Steve about it when Claire was away because for some reason, Steve had the keys and knew exactly where the place was. It didn't matter though. They were out of the nightmare and that's all that mattered.

Claire had tried to get in contact with Chris and Leon the first week that they arrived, but failed miserably. She guessed that Chris and the rest of the gang either failed taking down Umbrella or hadn't even started and was waiting for her.

_Even if they were waiting for me, they definitely wouldn't wait too long. They've probably already started preparing for their leave. _

Even though she hated the fact that they were going to take down those bastards without her, there was nothing she could do but live. She and Steve have gotten closer than ever and even went on their first date. It was cute when he asked her. He seemed kind of shy about it and looked like a little boy asking his middle school crush out. Of course she could refuse though. He always acted tough, but every once in a while he would expose himself to her and she loved that about him. Not asking her out officially made her a bit uneasy, but decided to be patient with everything.

* * *

It was almost Christmas. There wasn't too much shopping to do since they would only be buying presents for each other. They decided it was still too soon to be making friends; what with Umbrella knowing who they are and all, so they kept their conversation short with other people, giving them fake names and everything. Claire didn't want their opportunity to go to waste though. Christmas time didn't only mean presents and parties, it also meant job opportunities and they needed a job badly. The landlady has been constantly up their ass about their rent and obviously they didn't have the money.

Steve had found a job in the video game section in a large toy store and Claire worked at an over-large daycare center. With the holidays coming up, they were the perfect jobs. It would assure the two of them a day off on Christmas day and an early leave on Christmas Eve so they could spend some quality time together.

* * *

The stars shined brightly above them as they gazed at the large tree. Not a soul wondered about them, everyone was spending time with their family or going to parties this Christmas Eve.

"So what now?" Steve was still gazing off at the bright star that dominated the tree in front of them.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it looks like the nightmares over… for us at least—."

"We should just continue to move on as if nothing ever happened," Claire interrupted, removing her head from his shoulder and releasing his hand. "Is that what you're trying to say?"

He stared into her eyes and quickly looked away. "That's not what I'm saying."

"But it's what you want right? Well the answer is no. We don't even know whether my brother failed or if they even acted yet, but if they did fail, we'll have to take them down ourselves or by myself. Did you forget what Umbrella has done and what they're capable of—?"

"Of course I haven't forgotten. If _you_ haven't forgotten they did kill my family and killed Rodrigo as well… But that's exactly why I want to move on."

Claire's gaze fell to floor, not knowing how to respond. Steve gently placed his hands on her shoulders. His eyes completely filled with sorrow.

"I don't want to lose you too Claire."

She nodded her head. "Alright then. We'll stay here." He smiled at her, knowing that she was giving up a lot just by being with him, and she returned the smile.

He gave her a gentle kiss; something that he's been dying to do and something she's been dying to receive. They stood for a moment; lips locked, and let the sweetness of the moment pass. Both still smiling as they gazed into each other's eyes and absorbed the warmth around them.

The moment reminded Claire of a festival she went to with Chris in Japan when she was seven. It was called the Star Festival and it was held annually on July 7th. She couldn't quite remember the whole story, but she remembered the main parts of it. It was about the Weaver Princess Star and the Herdboy Star being separated by the Celestial King and only being permitted to see each other once a year. Although the settings and story were different, it was as if her and Steve were the two Stars seeing each other for the first time in, what seemed like, years, experiencing a moment so sweet and new.

Steve placed his arms around her shoulders from behind and held her tight. The view from the bridge intensified and brought them closer to the stars. A shooting star passed above the sparkling tree in all its glory.

"I wish this moment could last forever." Claire whispered as they stood in silence.

* * *

Claire's naked body lay in bed as the sun shown through the blinds. She slowly opened her eyes expecting to find her lover sleeping peacefully next to her, but ended up being surrounded by the brightness of the snowy sheets. Finding it hard to lift her hand, she managed to completely wake up. Her hands and legs were being strapped down to the bed with a sticky substance. Trying to get up, but failing miserably. Claire looked around her for the something she could use.

_Crack!_

The door was sent flying to the floor and to Claire's surprise she found her brother standing in the doorway.

"Claire!" He ran towards her and pulled out his combat knife, slashing away at the sticky substance.

She lifted herself, holding the blanket to her bare body. "Steve! Where's Steve?" A worried expression flooded her face, her heart racing.

"Who's Steve?"

"The guy who's been helping me. He helped me escape. We have to find him!" Chris nodded and headed out, but was immediately sent flying back into the room.

Wesker stood in the doorway, his eyes seeing only Chris. Claire has never seen or heard of the man, but he seemed familiar and she did know his name after all. It must have been in some document or something.

"Claire run!"

She ran for the bathrobe hanging on the chair and headed out, running past Wesker who completely ignored her presence.

Claire made her way to the outside hall. Walking slowly to wherever her legs were taking her. She couldn't quite make out what was at the end of the hallway, but could see some kind of figure. As if wanting to point the person out to her, a light above beamed down exposing him.

_Steve!_

She ran towards him. A large ax was placed over his bloody body. Claire tried desperately to remove it, but stopped as his puppet-like body just sat there. She brushed the side of his cheek as tears began to flood throughout her.

"You can't do this to me…"

Her body fell its knees as if giving up on life as well. She rested her head on his knees, refusing to let tears out.

"You said we were going to have a life together. I told you I wanted to be with you. How could you do this to me!" A flood of tears ran down her cheek as she gazed up at his boyish face. "Wake up dammit!"

_Ratatatatatat!_

"No!" Claire rose up from under her covers as she let out a quiet scream. Tears falling to her blanket.

Steve's body filling with silver bullets as the blood fell to her face; the image was still fresh in her mind.

She looked around her, drawing herself back to reality. Releasing the blanket beneath from her grasp, Claire placed head back to rest, facing away from Leon who was quietly at peace next to her. She reminisced about what _really_ happened. Steve's lifeless body laying in her arms after he had protected her, his soul at peace.

More tears ran down the side of her face and she shut her eyes as hard as she could, trying to stop them.

"Why won't these scars close? Oh Steve…I miss you so much."


End file.
